# Red Deer Rebels

The Red Deer Rebels are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Red Deer, Alberta. The Rebels are members of the Western Hockey League and play home games at the Peavey Mart Centrium. The Rebels won the President's Cup and the Memorial Cup during the 2000–01 season.

## History

In 1991, coach Terry Simpson and his brother were granted an expansion franchise, and they wanted in Red Deer. From a name-the-team contest, the top three ideas were Rebels, Renegades, and Centurions. The Rebels selected Mike McBain as their first player in the Bantam Draft. The Rebels' first game was on September 25, 1992, in Red Deer against the Prince Albert Raiders; the Rebels won 6–3.
In 1999, the Simpsons sold the team to Brent Sutter. With Sutter as coach and manager, the Rebels won three consecutive division and conference titles between 2000–01 and 2002–03. The period began with President's Cup and Memorial Cup championships in 2001, with Jeff Smith scoring the overtime winner against the Val-d'Or Foreurs in the Memorial Cup final.
Brent Sutter stepped aside as coach in 2007 and his brother, Brian Sutter, took over the team for the 2007–08 season. Brian was with the team for just one season before former captain Jesse Wallin took over. In 2012, Brent Sutter fired Wallin and took over as head coach for the first time since 2007.
The Rebels hosted team of the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament, thus making their second appearance at the national championship. The Rebels advanced to the semi-final, where they were eliminated by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
In 2022, the team set a WHL record for the longest winning streak at the beginning of their season, opening with 15 straight wins.

## Season-by-season record

Legend: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties OTL = Overtime losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Points | Standing | Playoffs | Head coach | Assistant coach | General manager |
| 1992–93 | 72 | 31 | 39 | 2 | - | 284 | 329 | 64 | 6th East | Lost in first round | Peter Anholt | Rick Pankiw, Mike Moller | Wayne Simpson |
| 1993–94 | 72 | 35 | 36 | 1 | - | 310 | 334 | 71 | 6th East | Lost in first round | Peter Anholt | Mike Moller | Wayne Simpson |
| 1994–95 | 72 | 17 | 51 | 4 | - | 209 | 356 | 38 | 9th East | Out of playoffs | Peter Anholt | Mike Moller | Wayne Simpson |
| 1995–96 | 72 | 28 | 39 | 5 | - | 263 | 300 | 61 | 4th Central | Lost East Conference semi-final | Rick Carriere | Jim Hammett | Wayne Simpson |
| 1996–97 | 72 | 43 | 26 | 3 | - | 317 | 297 | 89 | 2nd Central | Lost Eastern Conference final | Rick Carriere | Doug Hobson | Wayne Simpson |
| 1997–98 | 72 | 27 | 40 | 5 | - | 281 | 323 | 59 | 3rd Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final | Rick Carriere, Doug Hobson | Doug Hobson, Kurt Lackton | Wayne Simpson |
| 1998–99 | 72 | 34 | 33 | 5 | - | 274 | 250 | 73 | 2nd Central | Lost Eastern Conference semi-final | Terry Simpson | Peter Anholt | Wayne Simpson |
| 1999–00 | 72 | 32 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 227 | 229 | 73 | 3rd Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final | Brent Sutter | Peter Anholt, Dallas Gaume | Brent Sutter |
| 2000–01 | 72 | 54 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 304 | 168 | 114 | 1st Central | Won Championship & Memorial Cup | Brent Sutter | Dan McDonald, Dallas Gaume | Brent Sutter |
| 2001–02 | 72 | 46 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 264 | 184 | 100 | 1st Central | Lost final | Brent Sutter | Dallas Gaume | Brent Sutter |
| 2002–03 | 72 | 50 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 271 | 160 | 105 | 1st Central | Lost final | Brent Sutter | Dallas Gaume | Brent Sutter |
| 2003–04 | 72 | 35 | 22 | 10 | 5 | 167 | 169 | 85 | 2nd Central | Lost Eastern Conference final | Brent Sutter | Dallas Gaume | Brent Sutter |
| 2004–05 | 72 | 36 | 26 | 6 | 4 | 206 | 200 | 82 | 4th Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final | Brent Sutter | Dallas Gaume | Brent Sutter |
| 2005–06 | 72 | 26 | 40 | 1 | 5 | 166 | 220 | 58 | 5th Central | Out of playoffs | Brent Sutter | Jesse Wallin, Dallas Gaume | Brent Sutter |
| 2006–07 | 72 | 35 | 28 | 4 | 5 | 206 | 214 | 79 | 4th Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final | Brent Sutter | Jesse Wallin, Dallas Gaume | Brent Sutter |
| 2007–08 | 72 | 18 | 47 | 4 | 3 | 145 | 255 | 43 | 6th Central | Out of playoffs | Brian Sutter | Jesse Wallin, Dallas Gaume | Brent Sutter |
| 2008–09 | 72 | 25 | 37 | 1 | 9 | 172 | 250 | 60 | 6th Central | Out of playoffs | Jesse Wallin | Dallas Gaume, Bryce Thoma | Brent Sutter |
| 2009–10 | 72 | 39 | 28 | 0 | 5 | 202 | 222 | 83 | 4th Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final | Jesse Wallin | Dallas Gaume, Bryce Thoma | Jesse Wallin (VP Hockey Ops) |
| 2010–11 | 72 | 48 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 268 | 159 | 104 | 1st Central | Lost Eastern Conference semi-final | Jesse Wallin | Chris Neiszner, Bruce Thoma | Jesse Wallin (VP Hockey Ops) |
| 2011–12 | 72 | 32 | 34 | 1 | 5 | 204 | 231 | 70 | 5th Central | Out of playoffs | Jesse Wallin | Chris Neiszner, Bruce Thoma | Jesse Wallin |
| 2012–13 | 72 | 39 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 208 | 204 | 85 | 3rd Central | Lost Eastern Conference semi-final | Jesse Wallin, Brent Sutter | Bryce Thoma, Jeff Truitt | Brent Sutter |
| 2013–14 | 72 | 35 | 32 | 1 | 4 | 214 | 224 | 75 | 5th Central | Lost tiebreaker vs Prince Albert Out of Playoffs | Brent Sutter | Steve O'Rourke, Jeff Truitt | Brent Sutter |
| 2014–15 | 72 | 38 | 23 | 5 | 6 | 240 | 227 | 87 | 3rd Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final | Brent Sutter | Steve O'Rourke, Jeff Truitt | Brent Sutter |
| 2015–16 | 72 | 45 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 260 | 205 | 93 | 2nd Central | Lost Eastern Conference final Qualified for Memorial Cup as hosts Lost semi-final | Brent Sutter | Steve O'Rourke, Jeff Truitt | Brent Sutter |
| 2016–17 | 72 | 30 | 29 | 9 | 4 | 239 | 258 | 73 | 3rd Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final | Brent Sutter | Steve O'Rourke, Jeff Truitt, Pierre-Paul Lamoureux | Brent Sutter |
| 2017–18 | 72 | 27 | 32 | 10 | 3 | 209 | 250 | 67 | 3rd Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final | Brent Sutter | Steve O'Rourke, Jeff Truitt | Brent Sutter |
| 2018–19 | 68 | 33 | 29 | 4 | 2 | 223 | 225 | 72 | 5th Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final | Brent Sutter | Steve O'Rourke, Jeff Truitt | Brent Sutter |
| 2019–20 | 63 | 24 | 33 | 3 | 3 | 181 | 250 | 54 | 5th Central | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Brent Sutter | Ryan Colville, Brad Flynn | Brent Sutter |
| 2020–21 | 23 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 59 | 106 | 12 | 5th Central | No playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Brent Sutter | Ryan Colville, Brad Flynn | Brent Sutter |
| 2021–22 | 68 | 45 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 264 | 188 | 94 | 2nd Central | Lost Eastern Conference semi-final | Steve Konowalchuk | Ryan Colville, Mike Egener | Brent Sutter |
| 2022–23 | 68 | 43 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 248 | 189 | 92 | 1st Central | Lost Eastern Conference semi-final | Steve Konowalchuk | Ryan Colville, Mike Egener | Brent Sutter |
| 2023–24 | 68 | 33 | 26 | 3 | 6 | 213 | 217 | 75 | 3rd Central | Lost Eastern Conference semi-final | Derrick Walser, David Struch | Clayton Beddoes, Mike Egener, | Brent Sutter |

## Championship history

* Memorial Cups: 2001
* Ed Chynoweth Cups: 2001
* Scotty Munro Memorial Trophies: 2000–01, 2001–02
* Division titles won: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2010–11, 2022–23

### WHL finals

* 2000–01: Win, 4–1 vs Portland Winter Hawks
* 2001–02: Loss, 2–4 vs Kootenay Ice
* 2002–03: Loss, 2–4 vs Kelowna Rockets

### Memorial Cup finals

* 2001: Win, 6–5 (OT) vs Val-d'Or Foreurs

## Players
### Team captains

* 1992–93, Todd Johnson
* 1993–94, Ken Richardson
* 1994–95, Peter Leboutillier
* 1995–96, Terry Lindgren
* 1996–1998, Jesse Wallin
* 1998–99, Brad Leeb
* 1999–2001, Jim Vandermeer
* 2001–02, Colby Armstrong
* 2004–05, Colin Fraser
* 2006–07, Brett Sutter
* 2007–08, Brandon Sutter
* 2009–11, Colin Archer
* 2011–12, Turner Elison
* 2013–14, Conner Bleackley
* 2014–15, Luke Philp
* 2014–2016, Wyatt Johnson
* 2016–17, Adam Musil
* 2017–18, Grayson Pawlenchuk
* 2018–19, Reese Johnson
* 2019–20, Dawson Barteaux
* 2020, Ethan Sakowich
* 2020–2023, Jayden Grubbe
* 2023–24, Kai Uchacz
* 2024–25, Ollie Josephson

### NHL alumni

* Alexander Alexeyev
* Colby Armstrong
* Arron Asham
* Arshdeep Bains
* Ryan Bonni
* Mike Brown
* Jake DeBrusk
* Mathew Dumba
* Matt Ellison
* Turner Elson
* Martin Erat
* Landon Ferraro
* Haydn Fleury
* Colin Fraser
* Matt Fraser
* Byron Froese
* Michael Garnett
* Carsen Germyn
* Boyd Gordon
* Brandon Hagel
* Martin Hanzal
* Jay Henderson
* Reese Johnson
* Blair Jones
* Matt Keith
* Darcy Kuemper
* Peter Leboutillier
* Brad Leeb
* Brian Loney
* Ross Lupaschuk
* Doug Lynch
* Steve MacIntyre
* Josh Mahura
* Justin Mapletoft
* Masi Marjamaki
* Mike McBain
* Derek Meech
* Vladimir Mihalik
* Nelson Nogier
* Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
* Stephen Peat
* Lane Pederson
* John Persson
* Alex Petrovic
* Dion Phaneuf
* Luke Philp
* Kristian Reichel
* Craig Reichert
* James Reimer
* Terry Ryan
* Robert Schnabel
* Sean Selmser
* Shay Stephenson
* Austin Strand
* Brandon Sutter
* Brett Sutter
* Jim Vandermeer
* Pete Vandermeer
* Darren Van Impe
* Kris Versteeg
* Jesse Wallin
* Kyle Wanvig
* Cam Ward
* Lance Ward
* Roman Wick
* Jeff Woywitka
* Mikhail Yakubov
* B. J. Young

## Awards
### WHL

| Award | Topic | Player | Season |
| AirBC Trophy | Playoff MVP award | Shane Bendera | 2001 |
| WHL Plus-Minus Award | Best +/- rating | Jim Vandermeer | 2000–01 |
| St. Clair Group Trophy | Marketing/public relations award | Pat Garrity | 1996–97 |
| St. Clair Group Trophy | Marketing/public relations award | Greg McConkey | 2001–02 |
| Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy | Humanitarian of the year award | Jesse Wallin | 1996–97 |
| Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy | Humanitarian of the year award | Jesse Wallin | 1997–98 |
| Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy | Humanitarian of the year award | Jim Vandermeer | 2000–01 |
| Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy | Humanitarian of the year award | Colin Fraser | 2004–05 |
| Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy | Executive of the year | Brent Sutter | 2000–01 |
| Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy | Coach of the year | Brent Sutter | 2000–01 |
| Del Wilson Trophy | Top goaltender | Cam Ward | 2001–02 |
| Del Wilson Trophy | Top goaltender | Cam Ward | 2003–04 |
| Del Wilson Trophy | Top goaltender | Darcy Kuemper | 2010–11 |
| Del Wilson Trophy | Top goaltender | Patrik Bartosak | 2012–13 |
| Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy | Rookie of the year | Matt Ellison | 2002–03 |
| Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy | Rookie of the year | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 2009–10 |
| Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy | Rookie of the year | Mathew Dumba | 2010–11 |
| Bill Hunter Trophy | Top defenceman | Jeff Woywitka | 2002–03 |
| Bill Hunter Trophy | Top defenceman | Dion Phaneuf | 2003–04 |
| Bill Hunter Trophy | Top defenceman | Dion Phaneuf | 2004–05 |
| Bill Hunter Trophy | Top defenceman | Alex Petrovic | 2011–12 |
| Brad Hornung Trophy | Most sportsmanlike player | Boyd Gordon | 2002–03 |
| Bob Clarke Trophy | Top scorer | Justin Mapletoft | 2000–01 |
| Bob Clarke Trophy | Top scorer | Arshdeep Bains | 2021–22 |
| Four Broncos Memorial Trophy | Player of the year | Justin Mapletoft | 2000–01 |
| Four Broncos Memorial Trophy | Player of the year | Cam Ward | 2003–04 |
| Four Broncos Memorial Trophy | Player of the year | Darcy Kuemper | 2010–11 |

### CHL

| Award | Player | Season |
| CHL Humanitarian of the Year | Jesse Wallin | 1996–97 |
| CHL Humanitarian of the Year | Jim Vandermeer | 2000–01 |
| CHL Humanitarian of the Year | Colin Fraser | 2004–05 |
| CHL Goaltender of the Year | Cam Ward | 2003–04 |
| CHL Goaltender of the Year | Darcy Kuemper | 2010–11 |
| CHL Goaltender of the Year | Patrik Bartosak | 2012–13 |
| CHL Rookie of the Year | Matt Ellison | 2002–03 |
| CHL Top Draft Prospect Award | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 2010–11 |
| Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award | Brent Sutter | 2000–01 |
| Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy Memorial Cup MVP | Kyle Wanvig | 2001 |